Amna explores hope in the midst of pain with new project ‘Pain & Hope’

HOUSTON, TX – Life is a struggle sometimes. And sometimes you have to go through painful trials to get to the next level. Houston-based artist Amna knows all about pain, but the purpose of her music is not to wallow in misery with anyone who listens. On the contrary, the purpose of her music is to give people hope in whatever situation they’re going through.

This is the sentiment she hopes to capture with her new mixtape “Pain &amp; Hope,” which is slated to drop in early 2019. It’s a project that encapsulates the pain she’s gone through while also projecting the hope she’s clung to every step of the way through her life’s journey.

“My songs are very emotional and very vulnerable in terms of how authentic I am and how real my lyrics are as far as what I have lived and gone through,” Amna said. “I’m an emotional person in my day-to-day life, but I only write when I’m feeling down and sad, or faced with hardships. My pain forces me to pick up a pen and write. All of my songs are full of pain, but also a glimpse hope. That’s what I think separates me a lot. I talk about real-life stuff, and I think people like to listen because it has a real-life message that helps them get through their hardship. I feel like it’s my purpose God has given me – a gift to write in a unique way. I can reach other people who go through the same stuff I’ve gone through and hope it touches people’s lives and help them overcome whatever they may be facing. I want them to know there is more to life than pain, and you have to press through the pain.

Amna is originally from Kuwait and was born during the Persian Gulf War in 1989. Her family ended up having to move to Canada due to the dangers of the war zone. When she was 4 years old she had a difficult time breathing and had a surgical procedure done on her nose by Dr. Daniel G. Becker. While they were doing the surgery, an accident with burning acid left her with a permanent scar for life. The need for more surgery after that eventually brought her family to the United States, which is where she fell in love with hip-hop and rap. She didn’t take music as a career seriously, however, until the passing of her best friend in college.

“When I went to college on I was on my own, and I was really struggling with my purpose and what I was on this Earth for,” Amna said. “My friend and I we would always talk about life, spiritual stuff and share our struggles with each other. It really opened my eyes and made me realize I can’t do this stuff on my own. I need to turn to God for help. Couple years after that my friend passed away. It hit me hard. It left so much pain inside of me, and I was already going through so much with faith, loneliness, depression, betrayal, and school – it hit me all at once. I didn’t have anybody to talk to because my closest friend was the only one I talked to about real-life stuff. But he was the one who always pushed me to get all this out of me. I was so lonely, but I remembered what he said so I picked up a pen and God really pushed me to write. It started with poetry and slowly became songs, and it gave me a new meaning to live. God showed me that I have to go on living despite the pain inside of me. The more that I wrote; the more that I shared with others, the more positive feedback I received about my music and It motivated me to keep going.”

The first single off her forthcoming mixtape, “I Am Trying,” is set to drop on Nov. 8 It’s a song that emphasizes the steps she’s taking, day-by-day, to get through the pain and pursue the hope that is before her. As she said, “I’m still trying and still looking at God for hope. I never had an easy life, but I can still make something good out of my life. God has given me a gift to write songs, and that’s my purpose in life. I want everybody to know everybody has a purpose and usually that purpose is found in the midst of pain”